Ted Dawe, author of Into the River, which was briefly banned in his native New Zealand.
Photograph: Random House New Zealand

Into the River, the young adult novel temporarily banned in New Zealand for its controversial subject matter, is back on the country’s bookshelves.

New Zealand bans award-winning teenage novel after outcry from Christian group

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An interim restriction order applied to Ted Dawe’s award-winning coming-of-age novel in September after a campaign by a conservative lobby group to place an age restriction on it has been lifted by New Zealand’s Film and Literature Board.

Family First objected to some of the book’s language and subject matter, which tackles controversial issues including illegal drug use, underage sex, child sex exploitation and violent assault.

In a majority decision released on Wednesday, the board lifted the ban saying although aspects of the book may offend, it did not believe an age restriction was justified.

“Whilst many parents may choose not to allow their children to read such material, there are no grounds to restrict the book from teenage readers,” the ruling said.

Into the River had been subject to a back-and forth censorship battle since its 2013 publication when it won top prize in the 2013 New Zealand Post children’s book awards.

The interim ban was widely criticised by authors and organisations including the New Zealand Book Council and the Publishers Association of New Zealand, while readers worldwide organised silent readings in protest and solidarity with Dawe.

“There have been a few of the other sort of emails too,” he wrote. “They usually begin with the words ‘Shame on you Ted Dawe’. At this point I stop reading.”

Ted Dawe explains how his teen book got banned in New Zealand

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Family First’s national director Bob McCoskrie accused the board on Wednesday of succumbing to book industry pressure despite the book’s “highly offensive and gratuitous language, adult themes and graphic sexual content”.

But news the ban had been lifted was generally welcomed in New Zealand, as libraries and bookshops took to Twitter to announce it was back on their shelves.